Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I am sorry he thought I was on my phone, I was taking notes on the Minister's speech.

I express my sorrow at the passing of Martin McGuinness who was a great leader. He will be sadly missed in the negotiations that need to be finalised before the Executive is restored in the North. Michelle O'Neill is well capable of the work ahead but Martin McGuinness will be sadly missed. I know the Minister will agree with me that we should all strive to ensure that his vision of a society of equals is realised. There must be respect for all people and traditions in the North. I am glad to hear the Minister has given his support for Acht na GaeiIge. I welcome that the Minister has participated in the discussions in Belfast with the political parties and the British Government over the past three weeks to seek progress on outstanding commitments under the agreements and to support the formation of the new Executive. The disrespect shown by members of the DUP to our language is a cause of great concern and is a symptom of the attitude that anything Irish is somehow inferior. If we are to go forward, this attitude has to change.

The only way to safeguard the peace we now have in the North is for an equality agenda to be agreed and supported by both Governments. The Great Repeal Bill will end the EU’s legal supremacy in the UK and give Parliament the power to absorb pieces of EU legislation into UK law and scrap elements it does not want. Is there a danger that EU legislation that deals with equality issues may be scrapped and therefore undermine the Good Friday Agreement. As a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish Government must insist this does not happen. If agreement cannot be reached between the parties in the North, the only option is another election as the return to direct rule from London is unacceptable. The situation in the North has been changed by the recent election and unionism no longer has a majority. This change should also empower the Irish Government to act as an equal partner and support the demands of the nationalist people in the North.

Another issue that needs to be tackled is the need for the outstanding legacy inquests to be held. These are being held up due to the refusal of the Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, to provide the necessary funding. There is also the defence of national security used by the British to refuse information to the families who have been bereaved. It is the responsibility of the Irish Government to represent the Irish people and to ensure their rights are safeguarded. The British Government is taking the North out of the EU against the express wishes of the majority of the people in the North. The Good Friday Agreement was based on the fact that any change in the status of the North must be agreed by a majority in both jurisdictions. While Brexit was not predicted at the time, it is a definite change in the status of the North. As this change is being imposed on the North by a vote only supported by majorities in England and Wales, does it bring in to question the bona fides of the British Government in its commitment to respect the will of the people, North and South, in the event of a vote for the reunification of the country?

A major concern for all Irish people is the plan by Theresa May to remove Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights. Has this issue been raised with the British Government and, if so, what was the response and, if not, why not? Ireland, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, must defend the integrity of the agreement. Ireland is clearly the country that will be most impacted by Brexit. The British Government will partition Ireland once again when it finalises the Brexit process and 20 years of freedom of movement will come to an end. The social and economic consequences for the Border region will be catastrophic. The wish for a soft border is unlikely to happen as Britain intends to exit the customs union which will mean goods cannot move freely between the two parts of the island and delays are inevitable for both people and goods. The introduction of customs controls could not only make the Border a site for increased criminality linked to smuggling activities but also, if such controls require a physical presence, a target for renewed violent activity capable of undermining the ongoing peace process. These would be enormously retrograde steps.

The Irish sector most affected by the outcome of the UK referendum to exit the EU is the agri-food sector. This is an integrated all-island sector that operates efficiently and seamlessly through the invisible border. An all-island sector requires an all-island response this is why there is a need for an all-island strategy for the agri-food sector to address the consequences of Brexit. All parties in the Dáil are against Brexit as are a majority of the people in the North so this is being imposed on the Irish people against their will. We must ensure the interests of the North are high on the agenda of the Republic’s negotiations with the EU’s other 27 states because it is they, not Britain, who will decide the ultimate arrangements.It is vital that the Taoiseach negotiates a special designated status for the North. The best outcome would be for the wishes of the majority of the people on the island of Ireland to be respected and that the island of Ireland remain within the EU.